Located on the East Coast, this port and market town was called Bishops Lynn in the 15th century.

The origins of Bishops Lynn date back to the 10th century, but the first recorded mention of it was in the 11th century.

King's Lynn Station was in Norfolk, the original station opened in 1846 after the Lynn, Ely railway line opened.

Back in the day, this was just a basic wooden structure.

The Dereham line was created during the years 1846 & 1848.

Another branch, starting from Watlington (previously called Magdalen Road), began operating in 1848 and provided transportation services to Wisbech and March, also originating from King's Lynn. Furthermore, the Hunstanton line originating from King's Lynn was established in 1862, and the South Lynn M&GN station was built in 1865.

Then in 1871, several companies collaborated to create a more durable station, resulting in the present-day terminal we now witness.

The recently built station now has two island platforms, each with four dead-end lines in between and bays on both sides. It has replaced the old wooden structure that previously stood in its place.

Even though it is a Terminus, King's Lynn used to see many trains continuing to Hunstanton from the Lynn-Ely Line and the M&GN at South Lynn via a shuttle line, which is also covered on this website.

The summer months were particularly busy, with restaurant cars and royal services heading towards the Norfolk coast.

Also at the end of King's Lynn station, there was a vast goods yard that could be accessed through the King's Lynn junction by the signal box. Furthermore, a junction existed where the railway connected to the Lynn Docks branch.

Between the goods lines and the bay platforms lay King's Lynn's engine sheds. This brick-built structure featured four roads and accommodated a variety of engines, including numerous royal engines. By the 1950s, the sheds were capable of accommodating many locomotives. Also, at Kings Lynn, there was another small engine shed to the south side called the Royal engine shed.

This was used to stable the green Claude engines, usually numbers 8783,8787, whilst they were not at work with Royal duties when the royal family were down at Sandringham.

Many Royal services had engines waiting at Kings Lynn to attach onto the rear and take the special services off to Wolferton to save time.

​

When the Royal Funeral trains departed from Wolferton station, a second engine would be attached to the rear of the train at King's Lynn. This allowed the special funeral train to be taken to London without waiting for the engine to turn around, saving valuable time and reducing security risks associated with the train being stationary at the platform.

​Trains were stabled at King's Lynn, as Wolferton had no facilities for maintaining and keeping the engines in pristine condition. Fit for the royal family. However, in 1959, the sheds were closed to steam locomotives.

Access to the sheds was only possible through the junction located near the signal box.

During the early days of the station, there was a signal box located at the east end of the platforms in King's Lynn, along with a significant semaphore signal system. The first signal box was King's Lynn station, sited at the platforms' East end.

​This signal box had a 76-frame Saxby & farmer frame.

Both the box and the signal have been demolished.

As the trains left King's Lynn, they passed by the engine sheds and goods yards before reaching King's Lynn Junction. At the junction, they continued straight ahead to Dereham, crossing underneath the footbridge. On the left, you can see the Hunstanton Branch, while the Ely-Cambridge line heads off to the right. The Hunstanton trains beared off to the left off to its next destination North Wootton.

At the junction, there was the second signal box, King’s Lynn Junction Box. The King’s Lynn Junction box was said to have housed an 80-lever frame.

Down the line at the Harbour junction was another small signal box that controlled the M&gn connection from the south Lynn station that linked up to the Fen line for Hunstanton trains to travel to Spalding and Peterborough via Sutton Bridge.

​

This small box had a 36 Saxby frame installed inside the signal box.

King's Lynn station today.

King's Lynn station has remained mostly unchanged to this day. It still offers an hourly service into London via Cambridge & Ely, and also had a morning service to London Liverpool Street.

The Ely-Cambridge part of the line was electrified in the 1990s, linking the line to London for electric through trains, eliminating the need for either changing trains or the train changing the locomotive at Cambridge. I remember travelling to London as a child from King's Lynn and changing from a class 47 Diesel loco to an electric locomotive at Cambridge.

The café at King's Lynn station remains open and used daily. In 2010, the café celebrated its centenary anniversary.

There are still four railway lines serving King's Lynn station, with two used for stabling duties. Platform one is the primary platform used for the daily services in and out of the platform to the capital. Platform two was used for Hunstanton and Dereham services, now used primarily for early morning services and late night arrivals.

The Hunstanton branch line has long been taken up, and there is no trace whatsoever that a line once left King's Lynn for the Norfolk coast. The Dereham line is still in use as far as Middleton Towers from King's Lynn junction for freight carrying silica sand to glass production plants.

The King's Lynn docks line has also closed, and part of this long lost freight line remains that the freight trains from Middleton towers still use as a turnaround point before heading off towards Ely junction.

Once closed to passengers, the M&GN stayed open for the Sugarbeet factory at South Lynn for freight movements. South Lynn station has been demolished, and no sign of the old station is left.

Two steel bridges at South Lynn, the old Shuttle Line Bridge, and an old bridge left behind from the M&GN can be seen on a dedicated page to South Lynn. The vast goods yard and the engine sheds have long been demolished and are now built over with a supermarket and other shopping outlets. The old malt house remains and has now been converted into private flats.

Out of the three signal boxes, only one remains and, at this time, is still in daily use at King's Lynn junction. Sadly, in time, this box is expected to close, and a control centre at Cambridge will take control of the junction and the level crossing. Just past the level crossing on the old Dereham line, a new stabling point has been built to stable 8-car EMU trains that are now used on the Lynn to London Fenline, replacing 4-car units.

1846-1848, The Lynn to Dereham railway line opened with King’s Lynn wooden built station.

1862, the Lynn Hunstanton Railway opened.

 1865, the M&GN South Lynn Station opened.

​1871 The station that is still in use today opened.

​1911, the station changed its name from Lynn to King's Lynn.

​1959 The M&gnjr line closes.

​1968, the Dereham branch closes.

​1969 May, the Hunstanton branch closes.

​1992, the line to now London King's Cross is electrified between London King's Cross & Cambridge.